Ursonate

A multimedia performance by William Kentridge
Rooftop-Bar bis 22 Uhr, GEGENWART

Datum: Mo 10.6.19
Zeit: 18.30–19.30 Uhr
Ort: NEUBAU

Tickets: CHF 25/15

Ursonate is a multimedia performance by William Kentridge. The Johannesburg artist interrogates the theme of Dada in this performance piece based on the seminal 1932 sound poem Ursonate – a poetic and musical work by renowned dada artist Kurt Schwitters. Unlike a classical sonata, Ursonate did not require musical instruments for its performance, just the human voice. Kentridge’s version of Ursonate differs in that he demonstrates his ability as an actor and director, orienting the work not only to the listener but also to the viewer. The artist reads the words from a score, but in a dynamic and engaging way, gesticulating emphatically to draw the viewer’s attention to his embodied presence on the stage. In the cadenza, the piece concludes with the arrival of a soprano singer and two other musicians, one playing a Saxophone. More polished than any vintage Dada performance, and richer in freely accessible humor, Kentridge’s Ursonate nonetheless pays homage to its predecessors by demonstrating how helpful the language of absurdism can still be in addressing a world that makes no sense.

Avec: Anne-May Krüger (Vocals), Alexandra Hamburger (Saxophone, Flute), Jakub Dworak (Double Bass)